Today is the tenth anniversary of the 11-M tragedy in Madrid, the worst terrorist attack in the history of Spain and one of the biggest in Europe.
That March 11th of 2004 was the day after Real Madrid had knocked Bayern Munich out of the last-16 round of the Champions League. The joy of having moved into the next round by beating the Germans disappeared quickly.
Los Blancos issued a statement showing their “deepest condolences and solidarity with the family and friends of all those affected by such terrible terrorist attacks.”
“The people reponsible of these attacks must be monsters or the devil. We cannot be tolerant with this intolerance,” said Carlos Queiroz, Los Merengues manager at the time.
“The victory we want badly is living in a country without violence,” captain Raul Gonzalez stated. “We are living very tough days and football must stay in the background,” he added.
This last statement by Raul was referring to the fact that Real Madrid had to play at the Santiago Bernabeu only two days after such a brutal tragedy. Los Merengues earned a 1-1 draw against Zaragoza in a match that will be remembered for the sadness of the crowd, who was not willing to enjoy the game day as usual, since they all had in their minds the victims of the 11-M.
* Follow Alvaro Heralta on Twitter at @medialunablog
